The pressure is on Australia, not India this Summer, says Allan Border

Cricket legend Allan Border says the pressure is on Australia this Summer, with concerns around the batting order as Australia looks to end a decade-long drought.

Cricket legend Allan Border concedes he is worried about Australia’s batting without David Warner and says there is more pressure on the Aussies than on India this summer.

While the tourists head into the five-Test series on the back of a 3-0 home whitewash at the hands of New Zealand, it is Australia seeking to end a decade-long drought since last claiming the trophy named jointly after Border and Indian great Sunil Gavaskar.

That stretch includes two home Test series defeats in 2018-19 and 2020-21 and while it is India out-of-form, Border argued it was home side that is more under the pump heading into the first Test, beginning on Friday in Perth.

“The home side is because you’re playing (in front of a) home crowd. The expectations are higher when you’re playing at home that you’ll do well,” Border told this masthead on Tuesday at the Fox Cricket launch event.

Allan Border says the pressure is on Australia this Summer. Picture: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

“So obviously the home side, but I don’t think that’s changed. Even in my day, even if we’re playing the West Indies, you still expected to do well at home.”

Border said India’s pace battery had made the tourists a dangerous proposition on Aussie soil, but that it was incumbent on the Indian batters to ensure their bowlers can apply ample pressure.

“All of a sudden, India are playing well away from home, and particularly in Australia, they’ve got a team that’s well suited to the conditions here,” Border said.

“They’ve won the last few series, particularly on the back of fast bowling. And then obviously, as the game wears on their spinners come into their own as well. So the bowling side the equation, I don’t think it’s an issue, but it’s the batting that has been fragile of late.

“New Zealand, even at home beat them 3-0, incredible. And it was on the back of (Virat) Kohli and these fellas not really contributing what they had in the past. So they’ll need their batting to fire, because, as we know, we’ve got a very experienced bowling lineup, and if they’re off, Australia will be all over them. If they make enough runs, they’ll give the bowlers something to bowl at.”

However Border suggested there were parallels with Australia’s batting. Only Usman Khawaja and Mitch Marsh are averaging above with the bat for the Aussies in Test cricket dating back to the start of last year’s Test series in India, with Border noting that Warner - even though he was a diminished player for much of the last few years of his Test career - had left a sizeable void at the top of the order.

“Yeah,” Border said when asked if he was worried about the Aussie batting.

“We’ve lot of runs to replace David Warner.

“On paper, I’m very comfortable, but it’s just, you know, we haven’t played Test cricket for seven months, a lot of white-ball cricket.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan disagreed with Border’s assessment, saying both sides were under similar pressures.

“India have got more profile, more expectation, millions of followers, globally online. They seem to gather more attraction than any other team in the world,” Vaughan said.

This may be the last Australian Test Series for Virat Kohli. Picture: David Woodley / AFP

“I’m intrigued to see how India go. I’m looking at the New Zealand series, different kind of conditions, but you don’t arrive in Australia having lost 3-0 at home and expect to be full of confidence and then to face this Australian bowling attack, which is, in my view, the best that they’ve ever had.

“I’m intrigued to see how they replace (former coach) Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli’s leadership, because the last two times they’ve been here, Ravi and Virat have been these two ferocious leaders that have got into Australia’s faces. Played tough, hard cricket, and I don’t quite see that at the minute with the Indian side.”